This invention relates to mouse pads, which in general, are a purpose designed flat, cloth covered piece of foam for use as a working surface with a computer mouse. Initially conceived in the 1980's, the computer mouse itself has evolved first from an electro-mechanical device used with one hand to actuate a curser visible on the monitor by the computer operator as the mouse is moved across the surface of the mouse pad. A computer mouse usually has one or more buttons on the top of the device, which are actuated by the user with his/her fingers, which is known as “clicking/selecting” a link, or clickable area which will trigger an action on whatever is being viewed on the monitor by the user.
The computer mouse which has from its inception, been controlled with one hand in its earliest iteration was a wired, electro mechanical device where a visible ball in an enclosure on the underside of the mouse device was actuated as the device was moved across the cloth surface of the mouse pad resulting in a predictable and consistent movement of the curser across the monitor screen.
The first generation computer mice were generally of this electromechanical design. They were connected directly to the computer by a wire thus tethering the mouse to the computer generally limiting the distance that the mouse could be effectively utilized to the fixed constraint of the wire tether which was generally 24 inches or less. Today most new computer mice utilize wireless technology known as Bluetooth™ (or other similar technology) in order to transmit the motion inputs across the surface of the mouse pad with the computer mouse to the computer screen.
The electromechanical ball apparatus on the underside of the mouse device that previously transformed movements of the mouse across the surface of the mouse pad has, over the past several years largely been replaced by an optical sensor. The optical sensor now commonly in use, much more accurately senses and transmits the motion and “click” inputs made by the computer operator across the surface of the mouse pad; Which subsequently are transmitted wirelessly through Bluetooth™ or other similar wireless signal transmission technology to the computer itself to be viewed by the operator on his/her computer monitor in real time.
The typical mouse pad is confined to use on a flat hard surface, as they are basically flexible foam mats with cloth surface imprinted with designs, graphics or logos. While the computer and its attendant mouse have evolved technologically since their inception over 30 years ago, the typical present day mouse pad has changed little since that time.
There are newer and slicker surface materials, however the pad itself still consist in general of a flat piece of foam material of varying thickness covered in cloth, or sometimes plastic-like material imprinted with graphics/logos or similar. Some higher end models may have a soft wrist support as an added feature.
Aside from this, the mouse pad itself has remained virtually unchanged since it was first brought to market more than two decades ago. The current state of the common standard mouse pad continues to be constrained to use on a flat hard surface such as a desk because they have not yet evolved from their original design concept as a matter of the context of their contemporary use.
Over the past 15 years or so there have been a variety of attempts at developing mouse pads that provided the capability of being mounted on a user's leg. Prior examples that are referenced in the citations though functional, were in general of a complicated design and accordingly, were neither intuitive or comfortable to use. These designs often included straps, sand bags or other complicated mechanisms of support rendering them unwieldy, and therefor undesirable by the average consumer.